Gold medalist Zhang Yufei holds a Chinese national flag during the victory ceremony after winning the women's 200-meter butterfly swimming competition on Thursday in Tokyo. Photo: VCG

 Zhang Yufei and Wang Shun, Chinese swimmers who have won gold at the Tokyo Olympic Games, have been praised by netizens for their Olympic spirit and great sportsmanship at the Games after Zhang hugged Japanese competitor Rikako Ikee and the other bowed to Hungarian swimmer László Cseh.

Members of Chinese swim team, Zhang, a butterfly specialist, won the women's 200-meter butterfly and set a new Olympic record, while Wang delivered a stellar performance that launched him to the top of the podium in the men's 200-meter individual medley.

Their stunning performance earned them applause, but it was also their polite behavior after matches that inspired netizens in both China and abroad to give them thumbs up. 

After Zhang finished the last relay swimming match on Sunday, the 23-year-old swimmer did not leave the area instantly, instead waiting until the Japanese team completed their interview so she could give Japanese swimmer Ikee a hug.

Ikee is considered a swimming prodigy in Japan. She won six gold medals at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, beating out Zhang in the butterfly stroke event. However, she was diagnosed with leukemia the following year and had to quit the sport.

Beating the disease, Ikee worked hard on her recovery and finally, after more than 760 days, she returned to the sport and qualified for the Olympic Games.

After hugging the Japanese swimmer, Zhang said to her, "See you next year."  

"I see the real spirit of sports in Zhang's action. The Olympics and sports have no national boundaries, so those who try their best to perform well all deserve our respect. Zhang is a role model to us," Wan, a 27-year-old Chinese sports fan who watched the event, told the Global Times on Monday.

Wang, another golden medalist, was also caught on camera showing great sportsmanship after the competition on Friday.

As Wang passed famous Hungarian swimmer Cseh at the event, he bowed to and shook hands with the older athlete without hesitation.

The video clip has gone viral on Chinese and overseas social media platforms, bringing Wang many compliments.

"Thank you Wang Shun for bowing to our Cseh. It was his fifth and last Olympic games before he retires. He's one of the greatest swimmers in Hungary of all time. Congratulations on your gold medal!" Twitter user "huk sztuki" wrote.

Wang's respect and politeness toward foreign athletes were applauded by Chinese netizens, who commented that he is an example to all athletes.